Hidden Love
by Doolster
Summary: Naruto is still oblivious of Hinata loving him. Will Hinata finally confess? Or will Naruto finally come to his senses? Only time will tell. The future is explained here. Rated M for lemons, gore, and language.
1. Rain

**Hidden Love**

A/N: A long time ago, I posted a story called "Love's Perfect Example." It was a pure romance that moved very quickly. It included Naruto and Hinata. But it was a sample of what I would like to write. I got some good reviews on it and in saying so, I wanted to write a full novel. Don't worry, the whole story won't be pure romance. But I hope you enjoy.

Also I have always liked to write in my spare time. I hope to publish real novels in the future. So here's where you come in. I will accept any positive and negative reviews and feedback on my story. Any kind of feedback will help me improve as a writer. So if any of you feel that I did something right or wrong, please tell me. I value any opinion. If anyone would like to email me for further reviews, it's

Anyway I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 1- Rain**

Naruto was awakened by a dreaded sound that filled him with disappointment as he lay in bed. The sounds he heard were taps on the roof of his apartment which could only be one thing. He stood up from his bed and walked over to his window where he pulled up the shades and saw to his disappointment that it was indeed raining.

"Damn it." He cursed as he gazed out the window. His plan for the day was to train by throwing kunai and other projectiles enhanced with chakra at stumps and other wooden obstacles. He had slightly touched this training a few years back when he learned to manipulate his wind chakra, but had never put forth much effort to complete this technique due to the issues he faced with Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and Sauske Uchiha. Now that most of these threats were no longer a cumbrance, he found that he had more time for personal training.

Naruto continued to stare out the window and saw a few people with umbrellas dodging the puddles that had formed in the streets from the rain. There weren't as many people out as usual, and the weather played a role in reason. It was a gloomy day indeed. The rain and grey sky did not look inviting. Instead, the outside looked cold and miserable. It was the middle of February, which meant that it was the dead of winter.

Rainy days were common this time of year, and that caused a lot of disappointment for Naruto. He hated being confined to his apartment or stuck at the academy trying to complete minimal training exercises. Anything that created extra downtime for him was a burden. When long periods of time passed without missions, he would either train, or try asking Sakura out on dates which would usually end badly.

After a few minutes in a dead stare, Naruto finally moved into the kitchen and started preparing instant ramen for his breakfast. An amusing thought came to him as he waited for the water to heat up. '_I'll bet Shikamaru is happy knowing it's raining today. Rain will give him a good excuse to loaf around the house. That lazy bum._' He thought with a quiet chuckle.

A couple minutes passed. "C'mon water! Hurry up and boil already. I'm starving here." He grew impatient as he watched bubbles slowly form at the bottom of the pan.

To most people, instant ramen was not an appetizing item first thing in the morning, but for Naruto, it might as well be a food group. He found enjoyment in consuming ramen no matter what time of day it was.

"Finally!" Naruto yelled moments later as he poured the boiling water into the foam cup. He sat his ramen cup along with a pair of chopsticks on the table near the refrigerator. He took a seat and quickly began eating. "So good!" He uttered during a short break for air. He continued shoving large clumps of noodles into his mouth until all that was left was the pork broth at the bottom of the cup, but in one large gulp, the broth was history. Naruto sighed and laid back into his chair with a blank face.

A moment passed and Naruto stood up and walked toward the bathroom. "I guess I'll take a shower." He said with disappointment.

Moments later, Naruto was finished with his shower and was getting dressed when he heard a knock on the door. He bolted toward the door with excitement hoping that this would be more exciting than the rainy day.

He flung the door open revealing a cherry blossom haired figure in the doorway. "Sakura-chan!" He blurted with his trademark grin.

A small amount of time passed and Naruto was still grinning. "Aren't you going to let me in stupid? It's cold and wet out here Naruto." Sakura said with aggression and let herself in. She glanced around and saw clothes piled on the couch, trash on the floor, and an empty milk jug along with a dozen empty ramen containers on the coffee table. "Stupid Naruto! Your place is a mess," she shook her head, "how do you live like this?"

Naruto shrugged and moved his hand to the back of his head and smiled big. "So did you come here to spend time with me? It's raining outside and there's nothing to do. So why else would you be here?"

A vein popped out on her forehead as she glared and grunted at the blonde ninja.

"You did didn't you?" Naruto chuckled. "You wanted to hang out with me. I knew it! I knew it!" He jumped and took Sakura's hand. "So what do you want to do? We can make something to eat, watch a movie, or we can go out on a _date_." He looked down for a brief second and glanced back up with a brightened expression. "I know . . . we might be able . . ." Before he could finish, a powerful fist struck him in the head and knocked him to the floor.

"Shut up Naruto! Quit being a fool, and stop acting like a child!" Sakura yelled while still holding her fist.

Naruto stood back up while rubbing the point of impact on his head. "Oww Sakura-chan. You didn't need to do that," he said in a low tone.

She grunted and growled. "I didn't come here to hang out with an idiot like you," she grasped his collar and pulled him toward her face. "I came here to deliver a message from Hokage-sama. She has an assignment for you and wants you to go see her in her office right away." She let go of his collar but clenched her teeth. "Think you can handle that?"

Naruto shook his head yes.

Sakura started towards the door. "I would ask to use your bathroom, but I'm afraid of what surprises I might find in there," she said while letting herself out and slamming the door.

Naruto could see Sakura, out the window, walking toward the stairs. He had a straight face and grunted to himself. "I don't get it. Why is she so mad?" He went into the kitchen and gulped down some milk before leaving his apartment.

**. . . . .**

In a soft shower, the rain continued to come down. Naruto slowly dragged his feet as he walked toward the Hokage tower. '_I wander what granny wants with me anyway. She probably has some stupid D-Rank mission for me, or something of the sort_,' he frowned as he pondered the thought. '_Or maybe she has an exciding mission assignment set for me_,' he smiled and looked up into the grey sky, but immediately looked down again. '_No, I don't think so. It's been over a week since I've had any missions, and the past few missions have been stupid boring ones_.'

Shikamaru, who was walking away from the Hokage tower, saw Naruto walking towards him with a blank expression. "You look worse than I do Naruto," he said with a half smile.

Naruto's face brightened. "Hey Shikamaru! What's up?" he excitedly asked.

"Oh nothing," he sighed. "I'm just delivering an old scroll to Hiashi Hyuga. I can't believe I've been given this troublesome task," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Then after that, Ino is dragging me to get breakfast with her. I don't know what she wants, but all I know is its too early for these troublesome doings. Women are too demanding," he said with a blank expression.

Naruto chuckled. "Don't forget violent."

"Did you make Sakura angry with you again? That task seems to be easy for you," he smiled. "I do my best to avoid confrontations with these belligerent beings." He started walking once more. "Gotta go Naruto."

Naruto finished the walk to the Hokage tower and walked inside and slowly climbed up the stairs. He moved past the ANBU guards and knocked on Tsunade's door.

"Come in!" The voice sounded hoarse and groggy.

Entering in, Naruto saw a sleepy Tsunade whose hair seemed to be a mess, and an 'up to no good' grin took over his face. "Didn't get enough beauty sleep Granny?" He finished with a loud laugh.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she slammed her fist onto her desk shattering her pen into pieces. She immediately stood up; face scrunched with anger, bolted toward Naruto, grabbed him like a ragged doll, and tossed him out of the office. A split second passed and she was standing above a dazed and dumbstruck blonde ninja. "Stupid comments from an idiot like you this early in the morning will only end badly for you." She paused and lifted him up by the shirt. "The next thing out of your mouth better show some form of respect, or I won't hesitate to knock you into The Wind Country," she yelled and released her grip. "Now get your stupid ass back into my office! I have an assignment for you," she said as she walked back toward her desk in her office.

'_Maybe I'm getting a little too old to crack jokes like that_,' Naruto thought as he rubbed his head while picking himself up off the floor. "Oww," he mumbled to himself.

"Hurry up fool!" a cranky Tsunade yelled from her desk.

A startled Naruto quickly gathered himself, entered the office, and bowed.

The Hokage closed her eyes and smiled. "Much better Naruto," she said calmly. "Anyway, listen up!" she now had a serious tone and look. "As you well know, it's raining outside and the forecast shows rain for the rest of the day. I understand that is cause for disappointment for you and a few others. So I'm organizing training sessions for students at the academy and I have assigned you, as well as Tenten, Choji, Lee, Kiba, and Shino to act as mentors for the students." Tsunade glanced at a piece of paper on her desk. "There are 15 students in this training session; so that leaves each of you with three students."

Naruto shook his head. "Aahhh why am I getting stuck with such a stupid assignment?" he whined. "This isn't a job for a 'top of the line' shinobi like me. I deserve a much better mission than this," he continued as he slumped over.

"This is an assignment, not a mission, you idiot." A vein popped out of Tsunade's forehead as her fists tightened. She was about ready for an outburst when she suddenly calmed herself and smiled. "So tell me Naruto," her voice was calm once more, "it_ is_ still your dream to become Hokage one day, right?"

"Yeah you bet! Just you wait and see. I'll become the greatest Hokage in the history of Konoha!" he said while straightening back up, giving two thumbs up, and showing his trademark grin.

"Hmph, I thought so," Tsunade smiled. "You know Naruto, being Hokage means being a leader. Not only do I try to maintain the safety of Konoha, I try my best to lead and set the correct example for everyone to follow. That is part of my job as Hokage." She looked him directly in the eye. "You with me so far?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Tsunade nodded. "Now think of your assignment as more training for _you_ to become Hokage. Your job as a student mentor is to train and set the correct example for your pupil." She stood up and walked over to Naruto. "You have trained hard and have become a great shinobi." She tried to sound inspiring. "Now go to the academy and teach your ways of the ninja to your students. Set the correct example for them and lead them in the right way." She crossed her arms and smiled down to Naruto. "I know you'll make a great leader. That's why I've given you this assignment. This job isn't for anyone." She led Naruto out the door. "Now go!"

He ran toward the stairs and looked back to wave at Tsunade. "I'll do my best. I won't let you down."

She chuckled. "He took that well. It's so easy to inspire that kid," she said with humor.

**. . . . .**

Running at a fast pace, Naruto headed toward the academy with a head filled with thoughts about his position as Hokage one day. Then an image of Sakura entered his mind. '_I wonder if she'll end up as my assistant_," he thought with a smile and a soft chuckle.

Finally reaching the academy, Naruto ran into Kiba and Lee who were headed toward the gym.

Noticing Naruto's goofy grin, Lee quickly began, "The power of youth has its grasp with you today. Let us all give empowerment to our future ninja," Lee's gaze pointed downward and his right arm stretched outward toward the gym. "I'll personally teach all of Gai-sensei's wonderful lessons to these young minds . . ." he bolted down the hall, "I won't let you down sensei!"

The two remaining ninja shared the same blank expression as they watched the taijutsu user run with much enthusiasm down toward the gym.

Kiba ran his finger across his nose to relieve an itch. "Some things just don't change, right Akama . . ." he looked around and frowned, "ru . . . oh right."

"Where is he?" Naruto asked as they started walking.

Running his hand through his hair and a growing evident frown continued to take over. "With my sister. She is watching him for the morning."

"Why?"

Kiba groaned. "Tsunade-sama said he would be a distraction to the students and that he would be unnecessary for their training," he yawned before continuing. "I guess I'll teach the kids how to read maps."

With excitement, Naruto raised both arms before screaming, "I'm going to teach them how to be the greatest leader!"

'_Some things really don't change_.'

Upon reaching the gym, a crash was heard from behind the doors. Naruto and Kiba shared a glance toward each other and both knew the other had come to the same conclusion.

"Lee," was said in sync between the two shinobi.

What both saw confirmed their conclusion. Lee seemed to have run into a large cabinet filled with kunai and other training material. Items were scattered all over the floor.

Lee picked himself up and took his usual stance while closing his eyes before he spoke to his team. "Even someone as experienced as I will make a mistake now and again. Just remember not all mistakes can be avoided. As for me, this is a learning experience on how to not be too hasty upon entering a building or room where objects are always moved to different places. I want all of you too . . ."

Naruto separated from Kiba in a snicker as he walked further away from Lee's life changing speech. _'And they call me an idiot. At least I don't . . .'_

"UZUMAKI NARUTO YOU'RE LATE!" cried a small lavender eyed girl. "Hurry up we've been waiting for you.

Ah Hanabi-chan and uh . . . um . . ." The blond shinobi searched his thoughts as he looked at the other two teammates.

"Ugh don't you remember anything Naruto?" grunted the small Hyuga. This is Shiro and Midori," she pointed to each.

Naruto scratched the crown of his head. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I will be your sensei for the morning."

Hanabi giggled. "We know who you are Naruto so stop playing and teach us something."

'_What's up with her?'_ he grunted in his head.

Just then Hanabi's face brightened. "Oh Naruto! Before we begin, I have a question for you."

Growing annoyed he looked over at the smiling girl.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

Now feeling awkward, he didn't answer.

"Well do you?"

He looked at the smile on her face and her hands behind her back and thought her act was a little cute. "Uhh yeah," he answered. He tried to make reason of the situation, but couldn't figure out where this was going. "Why do you ask Hanabi-chan?

She giggled again. "I'm glad you think so because . . ." she paused and her face turned a slight pink.

Naruto signaled for her to continue.

"Well let's just say that I know something you don't," she lifted her index finger over her lips for a second and then continued, "in fact . . . most who know you well know this . . thing." A wide smile took over her whole face.

Naruto grew puzzled. "What thing?"

Hanabi snickered. "If you can't find out on your own, then you have no right of knowing. That's all I'm going to say."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Let's start your training so I can go train myself."

The three nodded and they began target practice with kunai.

Training went well for at least three hours. Naruto watched as his team practiced throwing kunai at a small target on the wall. That was followed by Naruto telling stories of his passed missions where he used kunai to stop dangers from harming himself and his team. The team asked Naruto to demonstrate his skills with the kunai and the target. His results were far superior to that of his teammates which caused great disappointment amongst his team's own skills, but Naruto reassured them that he was in the same situation when he was their age and told them that he practiced for many hours before becoming skilled with the sharp objects. There were a few more sessions of target practice, and Naruto noticed an improvement with his team. But hunger started to set in and Naruto decided to end his team's practice.

"Now before I go and eat Ramen, I want to tell you something." The team had their eyes locked on Naruto. "My way of the ninja is to never give up and to never go back on my word. That is my ninja way." Naruto looked serious. "I promise you that if you never give up with your training, you will become some of the greatest shinobi this village has ever seen." He let out a smile and threw his hand behind his head. "And I never go back on my word. So your ninja way should be to never give up."

"Right!" his team yelled.

"Now I'm starving. You're dismissed."

Naruto quickly made it to the gym door and exited into the halls of the academy. _'Granny Tsunade was right. This will help me become a better leader. I feel good about myself,'_ he thought as he walked at a fast pace toward the front door.

Upon exiting the academy, the rain was still coming down. Naruto thought back to his days as a student at the academy and a smile took over his face. "Even years after my graduation, my training is far from over. I'll just eat and then train for the rest of the day!" he excitedly said with his hands in the air. Just then, Naruto heard a shy voice from off to the side.

"Good luck Naruto. Do your best."

**To Be Continued . . . **

A/N: I do work full time and go to school, so there will be times where I won't update for awhile. But I hope to finish my next chapter soon. Thank You and I hope you all enjoyed my story so far. Please rate and review.

Daniel


	2. Indigo Hair

A/N: Here is Chapter 2 of Hidden Love. I thank everyone for the comments. Any feedback is appreciated whether it may be positive or negative. Your comments help me improve as a writer. I will warn you that I may update posted chapters as I continue to edit the story. So for those of you who have subscribed to me might receive emails of my reposts. Anyway I hope you enjoy. Remember to comment.

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

**Chapter 2- Indigo Hair**

Naruto looked over by an old familiar swing and saw an indigo haired girl with lavender eyes who was someone he has known for most of his life. Her hair was long and straight and it flowed down to about six inches above her waist. She wore an orange T-Shirt with blue Capri's along with her headband around her neck. To Naruto, her clothing seemed unusual do to the fact that she usually wore her light purple outfit. It seemed unusual for her to be wearing anything with short sleeves and even something that allowed her legs to show.

"Hey Hinata! What's with the getup?" he asked as he approached the shy Hyuga.

"Well . . . um I thought I should change out of my . . um . old style," she calmly said with her usual fidget of her index fingers. "If you think it looks too bad, I can . . . well . . go back to. . ."

"Hmm I'm off to Ichiraku for some ramen," Naruto interrupted when his stomach took over his thoughts. He started toward the direction of Ichiraku.

Hinata hadn't had many chances to talk with Naruto lately and she didn't want to waste this opportunity to chat with him since she forced herself to speak to him without the possibility of fainting. This was part of her self confidence she was working on.

"So how did your teaching assignment go?" she asked to regain Naruto's attention.

He stopped and walked back toward the shy kunoichi. He put his hand behind his head and looked toward the top of the tree. "I thought that assignment was going to be a waste of my time. But after completing it, I feel better about myself. I think it helped me become a better leader." He put on a smile before continuing, "If I'm going to have my own team to lead in the future, I need this kind of practice. And if I'm going to become Hokage, I need to know how to lead." He looked down at Hinata who still sat in the swing. "I also want to help people find their own way of the ninja."

Hinata looked down and a soft smile overtook her expression. _'Well you have helped me in more ways than you will ever know Uzumaki Naruto,'_ she happily thought.

"Oh your sister Hanabi was part of my group," Naruto said which interrupted Hinata's thoughts. "She's really skilled just like you Hinata."

Hinata smiled inward at the comment Naruto had made to her and a shade of pink crept over her cheeks. "Well . . I'm glad y-you think so N-Naruto-kun."

A minute ago, Hinata was feeling a little chilled being out in the rain in the middle of February, especially in her T-Shirt. But having Naruto around caused her temperature to rise and she no longer felt chilled.

Seeing that she appeared to be deep in thought, Naruto decided he must attend to his stomach's needs and eat.

"Well I'm starving. I'm off to go eat so I can train for the rest of the day," he said while resuming his direction toward the Ramen restaurant.

Suddenly coming out of her thoughts, Hinata glanced up at the blonde. "Naruto-kun uh wait!"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder toward her.

She wanted so badly to spend time with him and she felt like this would be a good opportunity. "Well um . . uh . . . I-I haven't eaten all day and I'm hungry too," she said in hopes he would invite her to come along.

Naruto chuckled. "Maybe you should eat too. I'm sure your family is making lunch now." And with that, he began running toward Ichiraku.

Hinata stood up and looked at her feet as a somber expression took over her face. She wanted to go after him and ask if she could eat with him, but she stayed next to the swing for another moment and then began her walk home.

**. . . . .**

With his clothes almost soaked, the hungry blonde sat down at his favorite restaurant. Ayame noticed he was soaking wet and threw him a couple dry towels.

"They invented umbrellas for a reason you idiot."

With a big smile, he dried himself off the best he could before ordering his usual. "And don't forget to add an extra large pork filet to it."

"You're predictable down to your last word Naruto," Ayame smiled as she handed the order to her father who was in the back. "Don't worry we have you covered."

Naruto gave a thumbs up, "Good! I'm starving here!"

Moments later, Naruto's pork ramen dish was served. He broke a pair of chopsticks and began eating like he hadn't eaten in a week. Tenchi and Ayame watched in amusement as Naruto ate, and although this was his normal routine, the store owners never grew bored from it.

**. . . . .**

Mixed feelings flooded Hinata's head as she slowly walked with a downward stare toward the Hyuga Compound. _'I certainly hope Naruto is enjoying his ramen,' _she thought as a weak smile came to her face. She brought her arms in close as she felt a shiver come over her. _'What a stupid idea to wear a T-Shirt and Capri's on a day like today. Besides my new style didn't work to catch Naruto's attention, and now I'm cold.' _

"You know you'll catch a cold like that Hinata."

Hinata snapped out of her dazed thoughts to see Sakura standing by the doorway to a coffee shop. She forced another smile, "Good afternoon Sakura-chan. W-what are you doing here?"

Sakura noticed something off about Hinata and she grew curious. "I'm running a few errands for Tsunade-sama and decided to get something hot to drink before I return to the hospital." Noticing Hinata's somber expression, Sakura gave her a warm smile. "You look cold. Why don't you come in for some hot tea or coffee? It'll be my treat," she offered.

"You don't have to do that Sakura-chan."

Sakura lightly pulled Hinata's arm and tugged her into the coffee shop. "I insist, otherwise you'll be visiting me at the hospital for some cold remedies. And besides, you need to warm up."

"Um okay Sakura-chan." Hinata uttered as they sat down.

Both kunoichis placed their order and received their coffee moments later. Sakura placed her umbrella under the table and then glanced at Hinata's clothing.

"So can I ask why you're wearing short sleeves in the rain?" Sakura chuckled. "That doesn't seem like something you would do."

Hinata noticed 'love' written in kanji next to a drawing of a couple kissing on an advertisement for a new flavor of coffee coming soon on the side of the table. Her face turned a slight pink as a shy smile crept on her face along with the fidgeting of her index fingers. "Well I was . um . . . you know trying to impress," she closed her eyes, "N-Na-Naruto-kun."

Suddenly Hinata's saddened expression made sense to Sakura and she hypothesized what might have happened earlier to cause Hinata to feel the way she did. "I take it that he didn't give you the time of day," she folded her arms.

"He came over and asked why I was dressing different." Hinata swallowed hard. "We talked for a minute and he said he was hungry and said he was going to Ichiraku's."

Sakura rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, "doesn't surprise me," she uttered.

Hinata continued, "I told him that I was hungry too, and he said 'Maybe you should eat. I'm sure your family is making lunch right now.'" She looked down and frowned. "I-I don't know. I thought maybe by saying that I was hungry, he'd ask me to come along," she said and tasted her coffee.

Sakura laughed and leaned back into her chair. Hinata shot her a glare and grew irritated.

Sakura noticed Hinata's discomfort. "I'm not laughing because he shot you down; I'm laughing because Naruto is dense." She resumed her normal posture. "He's not going to get the hint if you do subtle changes to yourself or anything of the sort. Hell he's not going to take any hints.

Hinata was in full attention of the other kunoichi.

"If you want to get his attention, you have to be blunt. Or if nothing else, you'll have to give him something he likes that meets his interests."

The shy Hyuga had a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

Sakura thought for a second. "Hmm maybe you can give him a small gift in rewards for his hard training, or _something_."

Hinata pondered some thoughts that popped into her head.

Sakura wondered how Naruto and Hinata would do in a relationship and she couldn't picture them in a relationship at all. "To be honest Hinata, I don't think Naruto can handle a relationship."

"Ehh!" Hinata gasped.

"I'm not trying to be rude here but I'm just going to say what's on my mind." She took a deep breath. "I know you've _liked_ Naruto for a very long time, and it seems that almost everyone knows it but Naruto himself. You think that after all these years, he would've figured it out by now. But he hasn't." Sakura's voice had grown louder. "So that is one of the reasons why I don't think he could handle a relationship."

By now, Hinata had a worried look.

Sakura adjusted herself in her seat and leaned forward. "It's okay to crush on someone; but after years of _nothing_ in return, I think you're wasting your time." She leaned back into her previous position. "I mean C'mon Hinata. There are plenty of other guys out there that would love to get to know you. But you're so bent on Naruto that you're never going to give someone else a chance or even give yourself a chance to see what other people are like."

Hinata clenched her fists as they rested on the table. "But there's no one else like Naruto." She now had a stern voice which was something unusual for her.

Sakura scoffed. "Well of course there _isn't _anyone like Naruto. I mean sure he's done _good_ for the village, but other than that, he is a hot headed idiot who eats nothing but ramen." She was on a roll and wanted to continue. "To top it off, he has his _unreachable_ dream of becoming Hokage which he will probably never . . ."

"ENOUGH!" Hinata yelled and now had the attention of the coffee shop. "Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth!" She stood up. "You should be ashamed of yourself for speaking such nonsense! Naruto-kun has saved you, me, and this village countless times, and you speak of him like he's some idiot? He may be dense, but even I know he's not perfect. Nobody is. It seems to me that you think you have no flaws whatsoever. But even _you_ are not perfect." She moved closer to Sakura's face. "Naruto-kun has helped me in so many ways. I'm going to keep trying to get his attention, and until the day comes where he says he's not interested in me, I will keep trying. Because Naruto-kun has taught me to never give up. So I'm not going to give up on him, because I see Naruto-kun as one of a kind and I love him." Hinata continued. "And for the record, you had a crush on Sauske-kun for almost as long as I've been in love with Naruto-kun. You never gave up on him even after he betrayed us all. Well Naruto-kun is still here helping us all. And if Sauske-kun was still here, I'm sure you'd be chasing him." She gulped the rest of her coffee. "So I don't want to hear anything negative from _you _about Naruto-kun." Hinata took a deep breath. "Thank you for the coffee Sakura-chan." Hinata left the shop leaving Sakura stunned and the other customers having conversations about what they'd just heard.

Sakura noticed her flushed face as she noticed other customers glancing in her direction. _'Hmm I don't have a crush on Sauske-kun anymore. No one even knows where he is and no one has heard about him in over a year.'_ She finished what was left of her coffee and stood up. _'I hope he's not dead though,'_ her thoughts continued.

At a fast pace Hinata headed to where she hoped Naruto would be training. It was that spot where she and Naruto once had their conversation before his match with Neji during the Chunin Exams. She noticed the steady rain still coming down, but she no longer felt cold. _'Oh no! I bet everyone in the coffee shop saw me screaming about Naruto in front of Sakura. Word is going to reach my father that I still have feelings for Naruto and he's going to become angry,'_ she thought as she came closer to her destination.

Finally reaching Naruto's favorite training spot, she saw that he wasn't there. "Damn it!" she cursed. She looked at the three stumps that now seemed to be damaged by years of weathering and being the targets of sharp objects. A smile came to her as she remembered her conversation with Naruto here all those years ago and how he still inspired her to this day. _'Wait! Why am I looking for him?'_ she wondered. _'It doesn't matter. He needs to know how I feel after all these years.'_ She smiled while thinking she may finally have enough confidence to tell him after all this time. And with that, she quickly headed toward Naruto's apartment.

Hinata caught her breath as she stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to Naruto's apartment. _'I hope he's here,' _she thought as her nerves started to tense up once more. She forced her way up the stairs. Upon reaching his door, she felt her heart speed up even faster than it was during her climb up the stairs. She was now thankful it was cool outside, otherwise she would probably have a flushed appearance on her face. She took a deep breath, _'I've come this far, I can do this,'_ she thought as she raised her hand, made it into a fist, and knocked on his door.

A few seconds pass and she heard footsteps quickly coming to the door. The door opened and revealed Naruto in his training outfit.

"Huh? Hinata?" He had a surprised look on his face.

Hinata gulped. "H-hi Naruto-kun, c-ca-can I c-come in?" she shyly asked.

Naruto noticed she was wet from the rain. "Err yeah. I'll give you a towel so you can dry off," he said as he stood aside to let her in.

Hinata walked inside and saw the mess in his apartment and let out a barely audible chuckle. Naruto noticed her expression and immediately grew embarrassed.

"Sorry for the mess Hinata. I haven't had much time to clean up lately." He knew he had plenty of time to clean up these past few weeks, he just didn't do it. "You can sit down. I'll get you a towel, so I'll be right back."

She nodded.

As she sat and waited, she noticed that there was a lack of decorations in Naruto's apartment. There weren't any plants and very few pictures around anywhere. She then noticed that her vital signs had calmed a little.

Naruto came back with a towel and handed it to her.

"T-thank you N-Naruto-kun," she said happily as she started drying her hair and then moved the towel to dry her arms and legs.

Naruto sat down in a chair across from the couch where Hinata was sitting. Hinata paused from drying and saw Naruto starring at her. There was an awkward silence in the room.

Breaking the silence, Naruto began. "So what brings you here Hinata? Are you okay?"

Hinata's heart began to speed up once more. "I-I um . . . well . . can I use your bathroom? My hair is a mess from the towel and I need to fix it," she quickly said.

Naruto looked puzzled. "Err okay yeah."

She quickly got up and looked around.

"It's straight ahead and to the right," he said as she followed where he pointed.

She hit her foot on the doorframe of Naruto's bathroom and stumbled inside. Hearing her trip caused Naruto to laugh lightly. Hinata quickly closed the door behind her.

'_I'm such a klutz," she thought as she felt embarrassed._

Just then, Naruto heard a knock at the door.

'_I'm never going to get to my training today,'_ he thought as he walked over to the door.

He opened the door and saw Sakura with a serious expression.

"You need to hurry. Something has happened and Tsunade-sama needs to speak with you _now_!"


	3. Possible Threat

**Chapter 3- Possible Threat**

The blonde ninja's eyes widened with surprise, "What? What happened?" He moved closer to Sakura's face.

She gave him a quick push almost causing him to fall backwards. "Cut that out idiot!"

Naruto regained his composure and noticed a somber expression on the kunoichi's face.

Her voice calm and saddened, "Just go see Tsunade-sama." She turned around and headed down the stairs. "I'm going to get Hinata. She will be needed."

"Uh Sakura-chan wait," he said watching her stop. "She's in my bathroom."

She didn't turn around. "Oh . . . well then tell her what I told you." Her voice was still saddened. "Even you can handle that, right?"

He grunted, "Is everything alright with you?"

Snapping out of her somber state, she continued down the stairs stomping her feet. "I'm fine! Don't keep Hokage-sama waiting!"

Quickly Naruto ran inside toward the bathroom before knocking on the door. "Hinata! You almost done?"

She gasped, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I'll be finished in a moment."

Naruto walked back into the living room, stood by the couch, and begin to think about what Tsunade wanted. Could it be a new mission? Was it another training exercise? What could it be? Another thought crossed his mind. What was wrong with Sakura-chan? She hadn't been herself these past couple months and that caused Naruto to grow really concerned. She grew more irritable and would snap at people more and more. Her overall attitude became more belligerent, especially toward Naruto.

The sound of the bathroom door opening broke Naruto out of his trance of thoughts as Hinata came walking into the living room. Her hair was neatly brushed and it hung down about 15cm below her shoulders.

The shy Hyuga blushed as she noticed Naruto starring at her. "W-was that Sakura-chan's voice I heard?"

"Err yeah." Naruto scratched the top of his head. "So why did you stop by? Is everything alright?"

Her heart seemed to have skipped a beat as he stood there watching her with a question in his eyes. She loved his icy blue eyes. In her mind, Naruto grew more handsome over the years. His hair had grown more full and took over his entire head. The well toned body that hid under his training outfit was enough to send pleasuring thoughts through her mind, and those very thoughts caused her heartbeat to rapidly increase, immediately followed by a familiar feeling she dreaded and feared would come. She felt lightheaded and weak in her legs.

_No,_ she cried in her mind, _not now, I can't now, no._

She turned away from him hoping that would keep her from fainting, but that didn't help much knowing his presence close to her.

"Hinata are you okay? You look a little red." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

The feeling of his hand shocked her as she immediately turned her head back toward his questioning eyes. Her goal for stopping by Naruto's apartment was to tell him how she felt about him. Now seemed to be a perfect opportunity to tell him now that she had his attention. However doing so was easier done in her mind. She thought she was ready, that is, until she reached his apartment.

She looked at the strong hand on her shoulder and a warm, content smile appeared on her face as it turned a darker shade of pink. She wanted to grasp his hand and never let it go.

"So what did Sakura-chan want?" There was a little jealousy in her voice knowing that Naruto has had a crush on Sakura since the early days at the academy.

"Oh right! Uh . . we need to go see Granny Tsunade right away. Something has happened and she needs to talk to the both of us." With that said, Naruto ran out the front door. "Lock the door behind you, will you Hinata?"

"Right."

She locked the door behind her as she left Naruto's apartment and slowly made her way down the stairs. She felt ashamed and disappointed that she failed to tell Naruto and now her next chance might be days or even weeks away. _I'm a failure and a coward. _She thought. She feared she might loose him to someone else if she didn't tell him soon. She knew he liked Sakura; however, Sakura didn't seem to return the same feeling toward him. But just the thought of Naruto being with someone else caused Hinata a lot of emotional pain. Another thought she kept in the back of her mind was what if she did tell him her feelings and he rejected her for not feeling the same way about her. She felt her overall chances of ending up with him were small. However she didn't want to give up on him. Naruto taught her to never give up and she held to that.

Entering the Hokage tower, Naruto ran up the stairs and barged into Tsunade's office causing all in the office to glare in his direction. In the office stood Kakashi, Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade who sat at her desk. Kakashi's face soon became emotionless and he carried a small book by his pocket. Sakura and Tsunade had their usual serious expression.

Sakura was the first to speak. "Naruto I thought I told you to bring Hinata, you idiot."

"I did. She should be here any minute now."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You couldn't walk with her coming over here? There really isn't any hope for you Naruto."

He shrugged that comment off and turned to the Hokage. "So what's going on Tsunade-baa-chan?"

She clenched her fist but then decided now wasn't the time to get angry. "We'll wait for Hinata."

A couple moments pass and Hinata arrived wet once again from the rain. She walked over and stood close to Naruto who now stood in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Sorry I'm late Hokage-sama." Hinata apologized.

"There's no need to apologize. Naruto rushed over here without you." Tsunade had her hands folded in front of her face.

Everyone in the room, except Naruto, knew the love Hinata had for Naruto.

"That's no way to treat a lady Naruto. After spending years with Jiraiya, you should know a few things." Kakashi stepped forward and adjusted his mask. "Shall we begin Hokage-sama?"

"Indeed," she cleared her throat. "Two of our ANBU black-ops were found dead outside the village earlier today."

Sakura looked shocked and tensed up. Hinata noticed Sakura's act and saw the fear in her eyes. After shooting her a quick glare, she looked back toward the desk.

"They were discovered by Kakashi's summoned dog Pakkun about 4 kilometers east of the village. The two ANBU didn't report in yesterday evening, so I sent Kakashi to find out why. Upon finding them this morning, we recovered them and brought them back. One of the bodies seemed to have suffered battle wounds, but the other didn't show any external wounds whatsoever. They are being prepped for an autopsy as we speak.

"So Naruto. We don't have any idea who killed the ANBU. This is where you and Hinata come in. Your mission is . . . "

"YEAH! All Right! Finally a mission!" Naruto interrupted while jumping up and down.

Sakura started toward Naruto to hit him in the head but was stopped by Kakashi.

Tsunade sat patiently waiting for Naruto's excitement to pass.

"Your mission is to scout out the outskirts of the village to see if anything can be found that correlates to the death of the ANBU. This will be a B-Ranked mission . . ."

"Aw man! I was hoping for something . . ."

"Shut up Naruto!" Tsunade slammed her fists onto her desk. "This morning you were complaining about not having any missions lately. Now you have one, so be thankful. Now if I may continue without any further interruptions, I would like to continue your briefing," she sighed, "I want you and Hinata both to scout the perimeter of the village looking for anything that may relate to our recent incident. I don't think you will need to go more than five or six kilometers away from the village walls. With that being said, Hinata will be most useful for scouting. Hinata I want you to use your byakugan to look for anything, or anyone, that might be out there."

"Yes Hokage-sama."

Tsunade continued. "Naruto, you will be Hinata's backup in case anything goes wrong, such as an attack."

Naruto groaned. "So I'm just a bodyguard?"

"Both of your jobs are equally important. If you two encounter multiple attackers, Naruto will be the most useful due to his Shadow-clone technique."

"Won't we need a couple more people for backup in case of a large attack?" Hinata asked.

"Normally yes; however, whomever may be out there might be expecting that. However, I don't believe there to be a large number of Shinobi waiting outside the village, and I want this scouting mission to be discrete. Both of you can act as thought you're out on a _date_ or some recreational activity." Tsunade now had a smirk on her face as she looked directly at Naruto.

Hinata gasped as her face turned a crimson color. Naruto looked at Tsunade with a puzzled expression as Kakashi let out a rare snicker.

"A date?" Naruto then looked at Hinata with a curious expression. "Hinata why is your face red? You didn't get sick from being out in the rain, did you?"

"I-I w-wouldn't g-get sick that fast Naruto-kun."

"Back to business," Tsunade interrupted, "Sakura, I want you to go down to the lab and assist with the autopsy. We need to figure out how the ANBU were killed."

"Yes Tsunade-sama." Sakura had the same somber expression she'd had earlier as she picked up her jacket. _This autopsy is a waste of time. I think I know how they died, _she thought as she headed toward the office door.

Hinata glared at her as she left.

Tsunade stood up from her chair. "Naruto! Hinata! You won't need to pack much. Just scout the perimeter of the village a couple of times and then return with your report. This shouldn't take you more than a few hours, especially with Hinata's byakugan. Try to meet at the gate in one hour."

"Well I'm off!" Naruto yelled as he ran out the door.

Hinata waited a few seconds before speaking. "Is this some kind of a set-up for . . . well . . you know . . ." she had her hands over her mouth.

"Hmm very good observation." Tsunade said.

"Well," Kakashi sighed, "I think it is time for me to go." He left the office followed by Shizune. It was only the Hokage and Hinata in the office.

Tsunade walked over to the window behind her and looked out at the village below. "You and Naruto are a good pair for this mission, and both of your abilities will be needed for this particular mission. You are particularly good at scouting, seeing long distances, and seeing things the normal eye can't pick up, especially under certain circumstances. Naruto is good at . . well he is good at keeping danger from himself and others." She turned around to face Hinata and smiled. "And this is a good opportunity for another purpose to _finally _take place."

"So it was a set up to some degree."

"Let's just say a convenient opportunity."

"B-but . . . what if . . ."

"It's been far too long Hinata. Everyone except for Naruto knows your secret; and without a little help, I'm afraid you won't do anything about it. Naruto is a great shinobi, however he is a little dense. Unless you make a move, you will probably only admire from afar."

"But w-what if he doesn't feel the same about me?"

"How will you know unless you move on him? He may not feel the same way about you, _but_ he may. You just have to show him your feelings and something might happen."

"Well I know he's had a crush on Sakura for a long time."

"Sakura has no feelings for him whatsoever other than just as a mere comrade, a teammate."

"Really?"

"She spends a lot of time with me. So I know just about everything about her."

Hinata had a relieved expression. "Thank goodness, that's the best thing I've heard in a long time."

"Now don't be late."

"Oh right. I shall be going." She gave Tsunade a quick bow. "Thank you."

Hinata exited the office, left the tower, and headed for the Hyuga Compound.

**. . . . .**

Naruto ran up the stairs to his apartment and ran inside with excitement. Finally a mission. It had almost been two months since his last major mission. During that particular mission, he along with Sakura and Sai went to Suna to help Garra find out who was behind some bomb threats to the city walls. Fortunately the threats were hoaxes. The current mission didn't seem to be anything special; however, it was better than sitting around watching the rain.

Finding a small backpack, Naruto threw some kunai and shuriken into a side pocket. He added some paper bombs and smoke bombs to the backpack. Then deciding that it was too chilly to wear his training outfit for this mission, he changed into his usual jumpsuit. With excitement still in his head, he grabbed the backpack and left his apartment.

**. . . . . **

Hinata's head was filled with thoughts on how to approach Naruto. Tsunade was right, she needed to make her move on Naruto. She laughed at herself from earlier when she thought she wouldn't have another chance to be alone with him for days. Little did she know that she would be assigned a mission with him today. Her heart was filled with joy and she had a wide smile on her face as she entered the Hyuga Compound. Her thoughts and feelings seemed to have taken over her mind to the point to where she didn't even hear her father talking to her.

"Hinata!" he yelled snapping her out of her thoughts. Hiashi Hyuga still intimidated Hinata to the point where she sometimes dreaded coming home. He had always held high expectations for her, but he'd never shown appreciation for her efforts. He still looked the same since her childhood. His large gray eyes still pierced right through her and his hair still did competition with hers as far as length was concerned, and with no surprise from anyone, he still wore his robe displaying his power as Hyuga leader.

"Y-yes f-father."

"What's with you?" he seemed angry as he stood up from the couch and walked in front of her. "You didn't acknowledge me when I spoke to you."

"Oh I-I'm sorry f-father. I w-was just excited about a new mission I've been assigned."

"I'm waiting for details."

_Geez,_ Hinata thought. "It's a scouting mission. I'm supposed to scout the perimeter of the village for any threats."

He nodded. "So you're supposed to look for the shinobi responsible for the ANBU's deaths."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. _How did he find out about the deaths so soon?_

"I want details. I assume you're not going alone?"

She was hoping to avoid the detail of Naruto going with her, but now had no choice but to tell him. "W-well . . . um . . Naruto-kun is going with me for back-up," she was now fidgeting with her index fingers awaiting his reaction.

He stomped his foot. "I forbid you from going with that demon boy!" he yelled. "It's bad enough he poisoned Hanabi's precious mind earlier today."

Hinata looked down and closed her eyes. "He's not a demon," she softly said not realizing she said anything aloud.

He reached over and grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him. "Don't you dare contradict me! He is a ticking time bomb that can destroy this village at any minute! Any wrong move with him and it'll be a repeat of what happened eighteen years ago!" He forcefully let her go causing her to stumble to the side. "That Minato was a damn fool for sealing the fox inside that boy."

She felt all the anger she had towards her father fixing to erupt. "No! You're wrong father. I may not know all the history about the Fourth Hokage, but I believe he saved us all, including you father. And for your information, Naruto is a great leader and a great person, and he is learning how to control the fox's power to use for the good of us all."

He tried reaching for her again, but she knocked his arm out of the way giving herself a chance to back up from him.

"I've had enough of you! The next time you dare speak against me, I will brand you the cursed mark and you can join the branch family!" he watched the expression on her face turn from angry to fearful which gave him pleasure of the power he thought had over her. "I forbid you to go near that boy and to go on this mission!"

"Enough father! You don't know him like I do."

He once again tried to reach for her, but she took off running.

"Don't you dare touch me father!" she screamed hoping he wasn't following her.

He wasn't.

"I'm going to tell the Hokage that I forbid you to go on missions with that boy! I'll deal with you when I get back!" he yelled while exiting the door.

_I won't be here when you get back_, she thought as she reached her room.

She sat on her bed and let a couple tears down her cheek. "No I can't be this weak, not now. Naruto wouldn't cry in my situation."

She found a backpack and threw in some kunai, paper bombs, and some medical supplies. She then looked through her closet for an umbrella and a jacket. Finding both, she took them and ran to the kitchen to get some food and water.

After sealing everything in her backpack, she started toward the door but then stopped. _I bet Naruto didn't bring anything to eat_, she thought as she went back into the kitchen.

She found two cups of instant ramen near the back of the pantry and took them both. _I hope he likes what I bring him_, she thought with a smile. She wanted to take everyone's advice and make some moves on him. The ramen should be a good subtle start.

After packing the ramen, she put on her jacket and ran out the door hoping to be long gone by the time her father returned. She noticed the rain had stopped and could see blue sky in between the clouds. A hundred meters or so away from her house, she saw Hanabi walking toward her.

"Where are you going?" Hanabi asked when she reached Hinata.

"On a scouting mission."

"Neat. I'm returning from the academy. How's father?"

With that question, Hinata frowned. "He's off telling the Hokage that he forbids me to go on missions with Naruto."

Hanabi's face brightened, "You have a mission with Naruto? Ooh did you tell him your _secret feelings_?" she giggled.

"No I didn't. But I'm going to try to do so on this mission. I brought ramen for him too."

"Okay, but don't be a coward and tell him finally. Cause obviously he isn't going to figure it out by himself. He's kinda . . . well you know . . . slow."

"He's not an idiot."

"If you say so sister. Gotta go." Hanabi ran toward the Hyuga Compound.

Hinata ran for the village gate knowing she was late for meeting Naruto. Her conversation with her father had delayed her. She hoped her father wouldn't take his anger out on Hanabi, but then she realized he probably wouldn't being that Hanabi was his favorite, or at least seemed to be. Hiashi always spent time working with Hanabi's training and would always praise her for her efforts. However, Hinata would either train with her teammates, Neji, or by herself and would never receive recognition from Hiashi. That caused her pain. He did seem to hold high expectations for her, but that never made sense to her being that he never give her any recognition.

As the gate came into view, she slowed down and saw Naruto waiting for her. _I hope he's not angry with me for being late,_ she thought as she grew nervous. This was her first mission with him since the hunt for Uchiha mission two years ago. However, this was her first ever mission with him alone. This was her biggest opportunity to make a move on him. If she blew this chance, she would have a hard time forgiving herself. This was almost a recreational activity, but at the same time, a possibly dangerous mission. She hoped there to be no danger so she could finally talk with Naruto.

The view of Naruto and the gate came closer and Hinata took a deep breath hoping she wouldn't pass out. She put on a smile as Naruto saw her and waved to her.

"Hurry Hinata we need to go," he yelled to her as the sun came out from behind the clouds casting its warm shine over the village.


	4. A Taste of Fate

**A Taste of Fate**

Hinata sprinted to the gate. "S-sorry N-Naruto-kun I was held up at my house."

"Don't worry about it. But lets hurry, I want to get back to train as soon as possible," he said as he waved goodbye at Izumo who seemed half asleep.

"O-okay."

Before she knew it, Naruto had already bolted out into the forest. She soon followed trying to catch up. He was fast. She remembered on previous missions with Naruto that he would always move faster than the rest of the group which would cause the other teammates to grow frustrated. Now wasn't any different. She could see him moving further and further away. She wasn't as frustrated at him as she was with herself for not being able to keep up.

_Naruto is going to think I'm weak if I don't pick up the pace and keep up with him,_ she worried._ Although I do know I'm not as strong as he is. That's a given._

She was so concerned with not being able to keep up with Naruto that she didn't realize they weren't exactly heading in the right direction to where the ANBU were found dead.

"Naruto-kun!" she called out now realizing the problem, but he didn't hear her. He was too far. "Naruto-kun!" she tried again but with no avail.

"I must catch up and tell him," she said with growing concern.

_How am I going to catch up?_ She thought as she began to remember Naruto's nindo. _Don't give up!_ She smiled to herself. _Give it all you got!_

She focused all her energy and pushed herself harder off each branch. However she had to be careful not to slip off the branches that were wet from the rain. But with each branch she pushed herself off as hard as she could, and to her surprise, she seemed like she was gaining speed. Her only problem was the water droplets dripping from the trees were hitting her eyes, but she didn't let that stop her. After a minute or so she noticed that she was slowly catching up to him. Letting herself catch up a little more she yelled his name in hopes he would hear her, and sure enough he turned his head and came to a stop.

Hinata smiled inward and congratulated herself for her effort as she caught up to Naruto and came to a stop.

"Hinata is everything okay?"

She found it hard to look directly at Naruto, so she starred at the branch he was standing on instead and began her usual fidgeting of her index fingers. "Well um we w-are g-going the wrong w-way." She hated stuttering around him. "Our t-target is m-more t-t-to the east," she said now gazing toward him with a shy smile.

_What is she embarrassed about?_ He thought as he watched her body language. "It can't be. I think we're going in the right direction."

"B-but Hokage-sama s-said the attack happened four K-kilometers to t-the east and we were h-heading more t-to the south."

Naruto shook his head. "But aren't we supposed to just look around the perimeter of the village?"

"W-well yes, b-but I think it would be smart to g-gather clues from around the sight of the attack. W-wouldn't you t-think?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Well okay. If it will help us bring down the ones who killed the ANBU . . . then yeah." He swung his hand behind his head and produced his trademark grin. "I gotta hand it to you Hinata, you're pretty smart."

She smiled and a shade of pink became prominent across her face. _Come on, make a move on him, anything,_ she thought and felt her heart speed up. She had an idea.

"Um I-I can lead if you want . . ." she paused, "that is, if you can keep up." She had a playful look in her eyes and she knew Naruto liked challenges.

He was surprised. "Huh? I can keep up and go faster than anyone."

_Yes! I have his attention now._ "What if I beat you?"

Naruto had a puzzled expression as he looked at her. _I've never seen Hinata act like this, but this should be fun. _"Like I'll loose to you."

Hinata took off in the direction to where the bodies were found and moved as fast as she could. She could feel her hair move in the wind as she hopped from branch to branch. There were still the droplets of water that would occasionally get into her eyes but she didn't let that bother her. She noticed the intermittent sunshine as clouds moved past the sun. When the sun did shine, the wet leave-less trees glistened in the light which caused Hinata to smile at its beauty. She didn't much care for the cloudy, rainy days of winter. She preferred the beautiful sunny days of spring and summer. There was so much more to do and to hope for during the long, warm days of summer.

"Don't let your guard down Hinata!" Naruto yelled as he zoomed past her.

She looked straight ahead and threw her thoughts aside. _Oh no, I spent most of my concentration thinking and not enough on my speed, _she thought, but determined not to be defeated that easily. _If he was a real enemy, I would have been a goner. I can't allow myself to have any distractions. _

She resumed her previous speed, but wasn't sure if it would be enough to catch up to the blonde shinobi who was now about ten meters ahead of her. He would glance back at her every so often and be surprised she wasn't falling further behind. He too was now giving full effort to stay ahead.

The Hyuga Heiress had a simple idea to distract Naruto. She screamed his name as loud as her soft voice would let her causing the blonde to shoot his glance back toward her. He lost enough speed in the process and watched as the dark haired Hyuga sped past him.

"Hey don't cheat like that!"

She giggled. "Don't let _your_ guard down Naruto-kun."

"But I thought you were in trouble!" He grunted as she giggled some more. _What's with her?_

A few minutes pass by and the two shinobi were still moving at full speed with Naruto still lagging behind. The leader activated her Byakugan and scanned the area ahead of them. After a moment, she noticed some snapped trees and leftover kunai in the not so far distance.

"Naruto! I see the battle scene about a kilometer ahead. But we have to slightly go to the left," she yelled.

Naruto grunted to himself knowing that he was probably going to loose the race to the kunoichi.

The last leg of the race was victorious for Hinata and a disappointment for Naruto for he was only able to gain a little on Hinata. She deactivated her Byakugan as she came to a rest in the middle of the battle scene. Hinata noticed her heart felt like it was going to explode in her chest from beating so fast. She wasn't used to moving so fast. Naruto came to a rest behind her, doubled over, and pouted like a child.

"You cheated Hinata."

"You let your . . . guard down . . . Naruto-kun," she was still catching her breath.

"Whaaat? I thought you were in trouble. I had to stop. What if you were being attacked?"

Hinata blushed. "You would have come to my rescue if I was under attack?"

Naruto gasped with a wide open mouth. "HUH? What kind of stupid question is that? I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. You're a special person to me."

Her face turned a crimson color. "I-I am? In w-what w-way?"

"Everyone in Konoha is special to me," he chuckled. "I'd protect anyone in our village at all costs." He looked around the battle scene. "Lets scout this area quickly so we can go back."

Hinata's heart sank but she agreed and began scouting the area. She collected kunai, torn pieces of clothing, and anything else that might make a useful clue. She had a somber expression and feeling of failure as she collected potential evidence and clues. _Sakura-chan was right to a degree. _She thought._ He won't take hints or take anything as a hint of affection. I have to present my affection head on in order to make any progress. _However the thought of rejection caused her heart an unbearable ache that she thought she would never get over. But doing nothing wouldn't generate any returned affections if he had any to give. _It's now or never. I won't have any chances of alone time with him for a long time after this. _

It still took Hinata about an hour before she had enough courage to begin her move. She took off her backpack and began removing the snacks from inside it.

"Are you hungry Naruto-kun? I brought some instant ramen."

He immediately stopped what he was doing and ran over to Hinata. "Oohhh I'm glad, because I forgot to bring food."

She opened his cup and poured hot water from a thermos and handed it to him along with a pair of chopsticks. He took it and began devouring it as she poured water into her own cup.

"Thanks Hinata, this hits the spot. What do you say we head back after we eat?"

"Um s-sure we can do that. I think we completed our mission."

He laughed. "Or lack there of. There wasn't any excitement."

A few seconds pass and a paper bomb attached to a kunai appeared in front of the two causing them to jump away as it exploded.

"You just had to say that Naruto-kun," she said as they both took out kunai and readied their battle stance. She activated her Byakugan and stood still. Naruto was looking around in all directions but couldn't spot anyone.

Hinata gasped and began to whisper. "Naruto! There's a masked figure behind me at 5 'o' clock about 150 meters away. Don't move for he is watching us."

Naruto didn't obey and turned to try to find their attacker but was only met with the glare of the sun.

"I told you not to look."

He grunted. "Your not the boss of me. Besides I can't see anything with the sun in the way."

Hinata thought for a moment. "Our attacker is using the glare of the sun to his advantage. However I can see him with my Byakugan. He is just standing there watching us. I can see a lot of chakra movement in his body, especially around his eyes. He must be using some sort of ocular jutsu."

Naruto froze. "No! It can't be!" he uttered in a loud whisper.

"Don't move Naruto-kun. He might be the one that killed the ANBU in this area, so therefore must be very powerful. We must try to find out what his ability's are before we get hasty and attack."

"I already know what his ability's are. Hinata, you need to get out of here."

She stood still. "No Naruto-kun, I'm not leaving you alone."

"Please Hinata! You need to leave, now!"

She turned around toward the sun. "He's coming!" she screamed.

Naruto turned around and saw their attacker speeding towards them. He produced 10 shadow-clones and and sent eight to attack this masked figure while the other two started rotating chakra into Naruto's hand to produce his signature jutsu. But just as he was about ready with his jutsu, his vision suddenly went dark. He then saw a massive column of smoke all around him with buildings burning. These weren't just any buildings, they were buildings of his village burning to the ground and he was paralyzed. He was powerless and couldn't move a muscle. How he had gotten back to his village was a mystery. What had happened to Hinata was his next thought and the thought of harm coming to her was unbearable. In fact the thought of such harm and destruction to his village was a pain he couldn't bear. The burning of buildings seemed to go on and on like some never-ending movie. How could everything burn for so long without stopping? But they did and he was paralyzed and powerless to do anything about it.

After what seemed like days, Naruto was back in the forest and saw Hinata touching his forehead until someone struck the back of her head causing her to drop next to his feet. He looked up and saw their attacker vanish into a dark spiral. Naruto tried to make sense of what happened, but instead collapsed next to Hinata.


End file.
